The Board of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has accused the previous government of illegally selling the Authority’s former Greater Accra Regional Office land to private individuals, despite it having been compulsorily acquired for a now-abandoned public project.

At a press conference in Accra on Monday, DVLA Board Chairman George Spencer Quaye said the property—located behind the Ghana Police Church—was originally taken over by the state for the proposed “Energy City” initiative. After the project failed to materialise, however, the land was allegedly sold to private developers.

“We were relocated for a national project, but there is no Energy City here. Instead, the land has been sold to private developers. This is a breach of the purpose for which it was acquired,” Quaye stated.

According to him, part of the land is now being used by a Swiss-owned company as a vehicle warehouse, while other parcels are being sold for as much as $3 million per acre. He stressed that under Ghanaian law, land acquired for a specific public purpose must revert to its original owner if that purpose is not fulfilled, making the continued sale and private use both illegal and unethical.

DVLA Chief Executive Officer Julius Neequaye Kotey also condemned the alleged actions, describing them as a betrayal of public trust. He revealed that the Authority’s current regional office at Haatso-Bohye—where it relocated after losing the original land—is not registered in DVLA’s name, but rather belongs to a private developer, Unique Development Groups.

“We are now occupying land we do not own and are expected to pay rent to a private owner, while our own land has been given away,” Kotey lamented. He added that the current location poses operational challenges, including severe traffic congestion that deters customers and reduces revenue.

Kotey said the DVLA Board will pursue legal and administrative action, including petitions to the Attorney General, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, and the National Security Secretariat.

“We will not relent until this land is returned to DVLA,” he vowed. “Our goal is to build a proper public office that serves the Ghanaian people, not stand by while public assets are handed over for private gain.”